Pilot's Log Senior Edition 2023

[pilot’s log]

Hasbrouck Heights High School

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Pilot’s Log

Hasbrouck Heights High School 365 Boulevard, Hasbrouck Heights, N.J. 07604

Front Cover: Illustration by Maya Bohan. Hasbrouck Heights High School Class of 2023.

Back Cover: Illustration by Maya Bohan. Hasbrouck Heights High School Class of 2023.

Michelle Barsoum

Thomas Brancato

Wyatt Bugge Editors in Chief

Damian Lalama

Alejandra Afanador News Editors

Romeo Martinez

Victoria Kokoszka Feature Editors

Armaan Mahajan

Brendan Miller

Sports Editors

Vienna Skye

Sophia Lara

Student Life Editors

Elisha Santos

Maya Bohan Staff Designers

Damian Lalama Lead Photographers

Molly Tague Adviser

Lora Geftic Special Consultant

4 6 8 10 12 14 16

Stockton Bound

Track aThleTes naTalie kroncke & caden derosa

Alejandra

Afanador

The busy life of The ‘23 saluTorian

Iryna Kushper

The Journey of a ukraine naTive Turned nail Tech

Elim Reyes

how Modeling becaMe an ouTleT for creaTiviTy

Ella Reyngoudt

The difficulT Journey of drew universiTy soccer signee

Alex Platon

upenn-bound valedicTorian shares his sTory

Damian Lalama

aviaTor volunTeer firefighTer soars To u.s. air force

Lea Mendleson

heighTs’ TheaTer sTar and her love for The arTs

Angela Ndocaj

how Third-honors sTudenT excelled in boTh sporTs and acadeMics

The Transfer [s]

Elisha Santos

transer esquire boyce makes a big impact on the football field

The creaTive experiences of The arTisT, aThleTe, and sTudenT

Stock Bound

Stock to n Bound caden deroSa natalie kroncke

Two of Heights’ best Track Athletes and their journies to collegiate Track and Field.

By Maya Bohan, staff

My parents have always been supportive of me. Academics and being involved have always been a thing for me. My parents are very involved with my sports career and my, uh, sports and academics. And they always support me in everything I do. My mother always goes to every track meet. She always likes to watch me run. She always praises me for running. And my dad, he always supports me. He texts me before every track meet, always sure to focus and I know I could always count on them.

I have been involved in student council, track and soccer. I had no plan of falling in love with track. I joined the track team in the winter and spring to stay in shape for soccer, since in soccer we have to run so much and keep in shape. Little did I know I would fall in love with track. I loved everything about track, the team, coaches and the meets.

I knew I wanted to attend school in state, this summer I went to instant decision day at Stockton and fell in love the moment I stepped foot on campus. Stockton had the same feel as the Hasbrouck Heights Track team. I felt that there was a comfort and continuation of what I already

College was never in my plans. However my junior year I finally gave into Coach Brady and tried track. Track was never a thought that crossed my mind. I just thought I would play soccer and basketball in high school. On top of that, I thought after high school. I would just go to trade school or into a career. I was just passing through school, and last year things just changed for me. Last year I came out to try track. Not really knowing how good I was going to be at track. I did really well and when I did that I fell in love with the sport. The better I did the more I loved it. By the end of my junior year, I was considered a strong hurdler in Bergen County. After accomplishing this I was approached by Stockton University. I went and visited, and from there I committed and was going to Stockon for track. Both of my parents have always pushed me to do well. My mom was always on top of my school, telling me to do my homework. My mom is trying to get me into good habits before I go off to school. She told me I need to get organized for college and focus on my academics. As for my Dad he has always been supportive, he texts me before meets. My Dad is supporting me by always asking questions about track. This way he can understand and support me.

Photo by: Maya Bohan

natalie caden

a le jandra a

jandra a fanador

Heights’ Student Council President, Senior Class Secretary, and Class of ‘23 Salutorian and her path to law-school at Rutgers New Brunswick Honors’ College.

By Victoria Kokoszka, feature editor

I’m a Hispanic American, and I love that. I’ve always been very proud of my culture and I’ve always been very proud of the language and the people in that community as well.

I’m very proud of myself, becoming salutatory was not easy. I worked very hard to get it because I was very determined, especially junior and senior years. I just really wanted to push myself to do my best. I’m also proud that I’ve been involved in school activities, events, and clubs, even getting leadership positions, like as President of Student Council. It’s nice to just walk around school and people are like, Oh, that’s the smart one. I don’t want to build an ego, of course, I don’t want to think too much of myself but, I am proud of myself for what I’ve done in this school.

I’ve always sort of liked school. Ironically enough, I’ve always been pretty academically inclined, all through elementary school and middle school. I’ve always wanted to put my best foot forward, I just tried to put 100% into everything. Even now, I’ve always held myself to a very high academic standard that emphasized the importance of work. In terms of AP Psychology, there is this intrinsic aspect telling me to want, to learn more and to want to do well, and that love of learning and also just academically wanting to always do my best. Then once you assign that extrinsic reward of a grade, it is beneficial, of course, but it’s important to not let that intrinsic motivation be overruled by the extrinsic token.

A breakdown of prominent dates in California this year alone

From that intrinsic aspect, I’m looking into law, and I’m potentially going to major in political science, which is a common basic major for law. I’m in between trial law, and international law, which are very broad. I think that I was definitely geared toward law because I’m a very avid reader writer. I feel like I’m very curious as to why things happen. I think that the classes at Heights have prepared me for that with that mentality and I think it’s important for a field like law to have that sort of mindset to have that inquisitive, empathetic mindset to sort of ponder why things are the way they are not just blindly accepting, or not assuming.

Photo by: Alejandra Afanador

Iryna k u

S hper

How Ukranian-native Kushper found her passion - both in charity work and nail design.

By Victoria Kokoszka, feature editor

I thought moving to America would help me become more successful, but at first, it was hard since it’s a different place with a different culture. Still, throughout the years I got used to it and once I moved to Heights I was genuinely excited to meet new friends. It was like a new chapter in my life. Learning about the war in Ukraine was really hard at first since I still have family there. I became very sensitive to the topic but more cautious of the news. Once it only started getting serious I began to really fall behind on my classes junior year, but I eventually caught up to them after a bit. Due to what’s been going on, I’ve done multiple donation events for the people in Ukraine fighting for my country and our independence, as well as for those who come from Ukraine to stay here and need money for living arrangements, clothes, and food. I felt very strongly about donating, because now it’s the only way I can help. I was at church for 6 hours a day packing boxes from 3 to 11 pm every day.

At the same time, my inspiration for doing nails was just small detailed art. I started doing it around 5th grade and from there just kept going with a lot of failed attempts until I succeeded, Although I’m still not perfect and struggle with some designs, all it takes is years of practice. I really want to do this for my future and it’s the reason why I decided to major in business, because I want to open up a nail business in the future but in order for me to do that there are a lot of baby steps I still have to take. I’m going to major in business for two years and then I’m thinking of transferring to another college and also getting my cosmetology license.

Photo by: Iryna Kushper

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How Reyes turned her hobby of modeling into her own creative outlet.

By Romeo Martinez, feature editor

I was born in 2005 in Jersey City but I moved to the Dominican Republic shortly after. I came back to the United States at 5 years old and moved around to 7 different schools since then. I think being in so many different environments caused me to struggle with my identity as a child and young adult. In 7th grade I started Rutgers Future Scholars which is essentially school on Saturdays and during the summers as well as paid for trips. The classes aided me a lot in school because the material taught helped me understand subjects before actually learning them in school. Around this time I also started participating in the DSY, Development School for Youth, which has helped me network with other companies and role models from certain business industries. They also took us to see the headquarters of big companies in New Jersey and really show us the inner workings. The DSY also provided me with experience and training for different jobs. This all kept me entertained, but I wanted to explore more so at 16 years old I began modeling. My mother was never very fond of modeling, but she came around to it when some of my friends decided to pursue photography. It seemed like a nice opportunity to take pictures with my friends, and it slowly turned into me being included in small companies. So far I’ve done a shoot for Seek Life, Visionary Arts, 1 of 1 Second to None, and more. Modeling helped that little girl find her identity that she looked for in so many different environments. Rutgers Future Scholars didn’t only help with my cognitive abilities but also gave me a full ride to any Rutgers University. I’m very excited to expand my knowledge at Rutgers Newark this Fall with the preparation of the Rutgers Future Scholars program. Although I don’t think I’d pursue modeling full-time, I’d keep it as a hobby for work-life balance. Modeling is more an escape for me than a job.

Photo by: Elim Reyes

e lla r

eyngoudt

How Reyngoudt’s love for soccer endured despite two ACL tears.

By Catherine King, staff.

It was the first sport that I loved since I tried it at the age of four. My dad was the first person to coach me. I just fell in love with the sport and it was always around me. At one point I began to play year-round and from there, it became a part of my life. I am attending Drew University, where I will be majoring in Marketing, I do not know what I want to do with it yet. However, I know there are so many opportunities in this field and my mom is also in the field. Which kind of inspired me. On top of that I will be playing soccer at Drew, I loved how beautiful the campus was and how welcoming my future coach and teammates were. I also love the fact that it is far enough and close enough to home. My dreams would not always be easy, my junior year Tore my ACL and lateral meniscus the winter of my junior year. I rehabbed and was back in six months, fully playing my senior year season. Just recently I suffered another ACL tear. Even though I will not be able to play my freshman season at DREW, I am continuing my rehab there. These injuries will still not stop my love for soccer and I will be continuing. I am made to face and overcome challenges and I will stay focused and determined. When I am not at school or playing soccer I was involved in track all four years. I was the yearbook editor, part of the yoga and wellness club as well as the senior chair for fundraising and the national honor society. I know that holding these roles will help prepare me for the next four years and beyond. I know my determination will take me on my next journey.

Photo by: Ella Reyngoudt

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Ivy-League-bound valedictorian shares his story.

by Alejandra Afanador, news editor.

Top 1 of my class, became President of National Honor Society…those are like my school accomplishments. Then the other one is that, oh, obviously, I’m going to UPenn. That’s number three. My other accomplishments are moreso outside of school. Honestly, having tutored for four years, I consider that as an accomplishment, and the biggest reason is that, you know, it was a lot of work over these fours years because I tutored students as young as 2nd grade and as old as 10th grade in, like, so many subject areas—Geometry, Algebra, Physics, Chemistry, even English. I helped someone write an essay, you know, like actually teach them. That was something that helped me really adapt to speaking English. And I attribute a lot of that to tutoring because you are forced to be the one who leads the conversation because, you know, you are the teacher, you’re not the second-grade student who’s just like listening to whatever the teacher says. I’m the one who has to be talking, and talking to their parents and stuff. So that really helped me develop and gain a lot of confidence. My other accomplishment is that I somehow found time to work out at the gym and practice physical exercise, which honestly—I am one of the biggest advocates for physical exercise because it just makes you feel better physically, and emotionally. You get time to engage in some metacognition, think about, you know, what you did during the day, like your plans, and just like consider everything in your life. And it’s just that time when you can just focus, and that time alone is very crucial. I would say that I am very competitive. And I always felt in control and confident. This really started as early as kindergarten, when, I just picked up on stuff. And I was never afraid of school, and I think what helped me and inspired me is not being afraid of school and learning in general. I always knew that I could do everything. But also, what inspired me is, honestly, my dad. He has always worked, tirelessly, like 16 hours a day. Ever since I was little, if he came home before 10, that was early. And weekends, he was at work on weekends. On vacations he’s always on the phone. And he always went on work “trips”, so that’s days of working on end with no stopping. And, where I’m going with this is that he worked so much, and he gets tired, but he never complained, never let that get in the way, he never gave up. So, to me, that was the normal and that’s what’s expected. And that’s actually what I thought that you should be doing—you should be working, you know, all of the time that you have. And I don’t want this to sound too extreme, but it’s more like “It’s gonna take work, and if you’re gonna sit around not doing anything you’re not gonna have good results”. It takes a lot of time to have something good. But he still found time to spend with us and we always did fun things with him, as little kids, and now we still, you know, spend time together. So he inspired me, he just kind of is a role model for me. He instilled the work ethic, 100%.”

Moving from Moldova, I feel like there’s few things that can top that. But [college], honestly, might. Because you’re moving not to a new place but you’re moving to the next step where you will not have your family anymore. And this is a realization that I’m slowly coming to. So, from now on we’re gonna be on our own and, you know, I’m looking forward to all the fun that’s upcoming in not just the next months but the next years. But at the same time I realize that all comes with a lot of responsibility. I’m just looking forward to really enjoying myself and continuing to accomplish and achieve things. Which is not going to be easy, I know that for sure. Especially in an engineering field. I’m personally going to be a small fish in a big, big blue ocean. I’m just really looking forward to being financially independent and really having time outside of work. I feel like during the school year I prize my free time a lot. Especially during my junior year- which was challenging not just because it’s junior year and I took 3 AP classes, but also because it was juxtaposed to sophomore year [because of COVID]. But just in order to stay on top of my work, doing what I’m supposed to do and not missing assignments and working out and tutoring, that took all of my time, for weeks at a time, where I didn’t have time for anything else outside of school, sleeping, eating. And, you know, I wasn’t spending time with my family, I wasn’t spending time with my friends. So when Friday finally came and I turned in all of my assignments and I had 2 days where I could just enjoy my time for myself and relax and do something fun, I really valued that a lot. But I did not do that before knowing that I’m going to do all of my work. And then I started valuing time outside of work and I realized that when I grow up and as I, you know, become a working adult, I am going to do everything possible to make sure I have that time outside of work and I’m not working, you know, 18 hours a day. Even though I have done so a lot already, I don’t want that, I want to stay away from that. And I just really want to make sure I have time for myself and, you know, do some hobbies, travel, spend quality time with my family and friends. So that’s a big goal. It’s important to be placed in the real world, or to more adequate standards where, you know, there is a limit. Four hundred percent can be too much on yourself when all you need is 100%. So I would settle for like 350 [laughs].

I think every student should take time and think to themselves: what do I like? And take classes that you’re gonna be interested in to learn about and, you know, that you actually kind of enjoy. And challenge yourself. Don’t take the easiest class because, oh it’s easy and it’s free time. Free time is boring and that’s not going to help you at all. And a little bit of work is not going to be too much, like ever. So, take classes that actually matter, mean something. Don’t try to make the easiest schedule ever with four study halls. And that’s it.

dami

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l alama

By Michelle Barsoum, editor-in-chief.

After high school, I’m going to the Air Force. While I’m there, I’ll be doing college classes. Still, I was never really into college, I thought [going into the Air Force] was a fun experience, getting to travel the world and experiencing new things. To get into the Air Force, I had to study for a while for the ASVAB, the written test we have to take to get in. After that, I had to start training for the physical aspect of it right away. I knew I wanted to join the military or do something similar to that ever since I started working with the Fire Department.

When I worked with the HHFD as a Junior Volunteer, I was mainly helping out with getting equipment ready or grabbing the equipment from the truck. I worked mostly in the winter and spring of my Junior year into the summer. When I was a part of the fire department, I was mainly helping out with getting the equipment ready, driving the equipment from the truck. Overall it was a really fun experience.

After school, if there was a call, we would go, we would respond to the call, but if there was no call, we could go up there, use the gym, and hang out with the other guys. Being in the HHFD was very time consuming, but it was a lot of fun. It definitely impacted my decisions for the future. I might do a career later on in life doing paid fire fighting. But, right now, I just really hope it works out. I just want to enjoy my life, no matter what I end up doing.

How

Lalama’s experience as junior volunteer firefighter imacted his outlook on his future plans.

Photo by: Damian Lalama

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endle S on

Virginia Tech-bound theatre star shares her journey from ensemble to lead.

By Sofia Toledo, staff.

I think that part of the reason I enjoy theater so much is because while I like my life and the person that I am, it can be nice to escape realityand forget what is going on around me for a few hours while i’m on stage. Being that it was my senior show I wanted to leave my mark on the theater department here at Heights, as well as have the chance to really express myself in a creative way. My Freshman year, I started going to the Manhattan school of music to attend their pre-college program, which I had to audition for. Once I received the call back I had to attend a second audition to be a part of their choral, where we sang in several languages such as German, French, and Italian. I also had to learn how to sight sing which is the act of learning to read music while simultaneously singing the harmonies of the music without anyone playing the pitches for you on a piano. I also has to audition for the musical theater class at MSM, which was 2 hours every Saturday. I would be at MSM on Saturdays from 8am to 5pm, under a mini scholarship. Training at MSM provided a really great opportunity for me to learn how to sing under proper guidelines, and proper directors who really taught me how to act. It was a really great experience that got cut short due to Covid. Since then I have only been professionally trained twice by a vocal coach, and I have also attended some summer broadway camps where I trained with someone who was on the original broadway cast of School of Rock, as well as training with the choreographer of Hadestown. I have been singing at St.Joseph’s church in Lodi since I was 5 years old. I started with the children’s choir, and I am now a part of the adult choir, as their youngest member. It is really great because it is volunteer based and everybody truly wants to be there. Basically everyone in the choir is of Filipino or Asian descent, which allows us to connect on a different level than just around music. We love to harmonize together and sing together, and you can really feel the passion. My family has been attending this church since before I was born. It is a great way to sing every week, but I don’t just sing there, I am also a certified lector in the church. I read about once or twice a month along with other members of my church. Singing at my church gave me my first experience with singing, and it was the first choir I ever joined. I am also on the varsity cheerleading team. I started on the varsity cheer team my sophomore year, and started cheerleading for the first time during my freshman year. I decided that cheerleading would be a good fit for me because I used to dance for 8 years. I am also a part of National Honor Society, Model UN and Heroes and Cool Kids.I take two AP math classes this year, and I knew that I would go crazy just staring at numbers and formulas all day, so I wanted to make sure that I had the opportunity to express myself creatively as well. Being that I wanted to take two AP math classes, there wasn’t much room in my schedule for me to take AP art, but I still wanted to take it, so I decided to take the class as an independent study. I did all of my AP art work independently, at home. My investigative task for AP Art was to answer the question, “how does fear trickle into a persons sense of self.” I was able to research and explore this question through art by pushing myself and pushing my boundaries by using many different forms of mediums that aren’t typically used in art. I never really liked english the way that I enjoyed math. Teachers like Ms. Healy and Mr.Cassano helped me to understand why math is the way it is, and I have always had an interest in why things work the way that they do. English always has double meanings and double entendres, but I just want a straightforward meaning, I want to solve for X and get an answer. I would like to become a mechanical engineer someday. I have always loved Disney World, and I don’t know if I could, but my goal would be to become a Disney Imagineer. Going to Virginia Tech will provide me with a better opportunity to do that because they have a bridge to Disney’s Companies which would allow me to do the Disney College Program through VT and earn credits. I will also be able to do a co-op program with Disney engineering specifically and I would be able to do Disney Imagineering there, which would be a good segway into pursuing it as a career. At Virginia Tech I will also be able to get my masters in 5 years, instead of 6, which is great because I won’t have to worry about applying for graduate school. Virginia Tech was not my top choice at first. At first my top two choices were probably NYU or Northeastern, but when I stepped foot onto Virginia Tech’s campus, I felt a sense of home and a sense of self. Virginia Tech also has a very good theater program, whichwill allow me to continue to perform after high school. If I do pursue a career of becoming a Disney Imagineer it will also allow me to have an opportunity to possibly pursue performing arts at Disney, as well. I would be happy, and that’s what I am striving for. I ultimately want to have a job where I will be able to express myself creatively, which is what I feel I have been doing here at heights, all of these years in a multitude of different ways.

Photo by: Michelle Barsoum

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The following opinion pieces represent the thoughts of our writers. As high school writers, we reserve the right to keep the names of the writer anonymous. The writings and sntiment may not represent the sentiment of the entire Pilot’s Log staff, school, or any affiliated body.

Balancing being a top-three student, year-round worker, three-sport athlete, and nonprofit cofounder isn’t easy - just ask Ndocaj.

By Mia Colenari & Sophia Lara, staff

During my time in high school, I did 3 sports (soccer and indoor/spring track), band, and I was president of the Powerback Club. Outside of school, I am the vice president of a non-profit organization called “The Medica Zone” where we create opportunities for students interested in the medical field to pursue research and learn more, as it is such a broad field. Throughout my time with the organization, I’ve decided to pursue medicine in college, so I will be majoring in neuroscience as I further my education at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the fall.

I mostly chose UNC because of the incredible opportunities I will have academically, and also because of the half-ride scholarship I’ve received. UNC is located in the RaleighDurham research triangle with Duke, which will allow me to build useful connections in the future. During high school, I faced many hardships, since I was constantly working in many different settings, but I learned to manage my time and put aside the time to do what I enjoy, which made it much easier and more enjoyable.

Photo by: Angela Ndocaj

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Santo S

How Santos expresses her love for arts of all forms.

By Adrien Argana & Usman Shahid, staff.

Some of my art accomplishments include painting sets for the theater program, creating graphics for a non-profit and NHS, submitting an AP Art Portfolio, and winning the school art show.

The people around me inspire me to create art because I believe that aesthetics and beauty enhances the experience and mood of others. I also really like the progression I make by practicing over time even with little tasks. It’s really satisfying to see the skills in my pieces improve over time.

I made butterfly keychains out of string out of boredom one summer. I enjoyed it, and other people wanted it and they told me I should start selling them. I started selling them on my art account (@elishascanvas).

I also really like to do graphic design. I make designs for t-shirts that the school uses sometimes and try to offer my art services as much as possible. I mainly use Canva for my designs.

I plan on furthering my art career at Pratt Institute, an art school in Brooklyn, and I plan to major in Architecture. I’m excited to work in the studio and branch out into the real world with my art.

I enjoy the piano the most because I have the most experience with it. I’ve been playing it since Kindergarten. Originally I had bad experiences with it because I was forced into it, but Band helped me rediscover my love for it and it started to become my favorite instrument.

During Senior Night, I heard all the cheerleaders sing along to the Marching Band song. It felt really nice to see us all come along together and care for the effort that we put in to make Football games have a live atmosphere.

I really want to learn the guitar, more specifically the electric guitar. I already know the ukulele, so it won’t be as difficult to learn it, but it is definitely something I want to learn. I really enjoyed the team spirit at Heights, although it is an individual sport the way that the team comes together it feels great. The team was a really strong support system and always helped me improve when I was down. I loved the adrenaline and the competition that comes with Track as well and I was really proud to have been on the team.

Photo by: Elisha Santos

Designs by: Michelle Barsoum

Covers by: Maya Bohan